Rensselaer County gets $5M grant to upgrade emergency communications system

TROY - Rensselaer County Executive Kathleen M. Jimino announced Wednesday that the County's application for $5,066,512 in State grant funding to make upgrades and improvements to its emergency communications system has been approved.

According to the award letter, the "Statewide Interoperability Communications Grant (SICG) is provided to facilitate the development, consolidation and/or improved operation of public safety communications to support and enhance statewide interoperable communications to first responders throughout New York state."

The County's application for funding sought financial support for a number of projects that will expand and enhance radio coverage for both law enforcement as well as fire and ambulance first responders. The grant funding includes the replacement of a tower site, the upgrade of connectivity between the County's seven tower sites, the expansion of available radio frequencies, as well compliance with Federal Communications Commission's mandate to narrow-band certain frequencies. As well, once the work is completed, the County system will allow interoperability with State and Federal emergency responders. Additionally, the grant will fund the purchase of new mobile and portable radios for local law enforcement agencies.

"These upgrades to our emergency communications system are vitally important to our first responders' ability to help those in need. I want to commend the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Governor Cuomo for recognizing how important this grant funding is to our ability to create and maintain a radio communications system that our first responders can count on," said Jimino.

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Currently Rensselaer County maintains and supports seven radio communications tower sites that are used to transmit radio communications as well as dispatch and alert first responders to an alarm or public safety emergency. Approximately 2000 portable and mobile radios in use by local police, fire, and ambulance squads utilize the system to communicate